A visit to the giant sequoias.

Abstract

Recently I had the pleasant and rewarding experience of visiting Sequoia National Park in California to see at first hand and in their national habitat the wonder and splendour of the Giant Sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) or better known in these islands as the Wellingtonias. The park is situated in central California on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains and covers 156,000 ha (386,000 acres). It is a vast region of forest, mountain, canyons, rivers, lakes and meadows. It is administered by the National Park Services of the Department of the Interior of the U.S.A. The principal reason for establishing it in 1890 was to preserve the Giant Sequoias which were subjected to heavy exploitation during the period 1862 to 1900. Two factors saved the giant trees which survive here to-day, firstly, their inaccessibility at that time and secondly, their vast size which presented logging difficulties over rough terrain.